He's Killing You
by SilenceIsGolden15
Summary: Max never thought she needed to lose weight. She ate what she wanted when she wanted and never exercised. Until her boyfriend Dylan starts criticizing her and dropping hints. She quickly descends into a desperate downward spiral that could take her life. Can Fang bring her back? FAX! Little bit of Mylan at the beginning, but FAXXXXXX
1. Chapter 1

Ambulances. Sirens. Bruises. Blood. Thin bones cracking.

I never thought this would happen to me. I never thought shadows could hide in my head, never thought Ana would worm her way in and take me prisoner. But it did, it happened.

It wasn't my fault. He did it to me. And he was the last person I would have ever expected.

Maxs PoV

It all started one summer afternoon, while I was walking down the street with my boyfriend and my best friend. We were heading to the ice cream shop, something we did once or twice a week during the summer. I held hands with my boyfriend, Dylan, smiling at his stupid jokes. My best friend, Fang, walked on the other side of me, smirking at us being all lovey dovey. Even though he always complained about us being so mushy, he never declined the offer to tag along.

Summers are always hot here, so Dylan and I were in tank tops, shorts, and flip flops. Fang, though, he wore black skinny jeans, black sneakers, and a black t-shirt. With his black hair and dark eyes and olive skin, I was surprised he didn't spontaneously combust. Dylan had golden hair and Caribbean blue eyes. His skin was tan, like mine, from being outside all the time.

We were almost to the shop when I tripped on a crack in the sidewalk. Before I could faceplant, Dylan had scooped me up, bridal style.

He pretended to sag under my weight as I laughed. "Geez, you weigh a ton!" he said. "What have you been eating, rocks?" I just smirked.

"Why, is your head missing some?" I shot back.

Fang just smirked and shook his head. Dylan laughed and set me back on my feet, giving me a quick peck on the lips as we walked into the shop.

We all ordered what we usually did. Dylan got a single scoop of vanilla (lame) I got a double scoop of chocolate (yum) and Fang got a single scoop of mint chocolate chip (ok). While we were paying, I saw Dylan frown at my ice cream.

"What?" I asked. "You're looking at it like it just killed your mother." He didn't smile at my joke.

"I was just thinking… maybe you should try getting something else next time."

I blinked in surprise. "Like what?" I asked. "I always get this."

"Yeah I know it's just… alot of it. Maybe try getting a single scoop next time."

"What for?" Fang interjected, stepping forward to stand next to me. "It's not like she has to watch her weight."

Dylan just frowned and didn't say anything.

What was going on with him?

Time Skip

After we ate our ice cream, we walked back towards our houses. Fang split off at his house, and Dylan and I continued on to mine. He was going to stay for dinner tonight.

"So what as that about? At the ice cream shop." Dylan sighed.

"It was nothing."

"If it was nothing you wouldn't have said anything. Spill."

He sighed again and stopped walking. "Ok, fine. I'm getting a little concerned about you." he confessed.

"Concerned?" I asked, bemused. "About what?"

"You eat nothing but junk all the time, Max, and never do alot of exercise."

"I have a fast metabolism." I replied, getting a little defensive. I had never had issues with my weight before, why was he suddenly having them?

"But that won't last forever. Don't you want to be healthy?" Dylan was looking at me seriously, with concern in his eyes. I still wasn't convinced.

"Dylan, I am healthy. My BMI is 18.9, where it should be. I don't have to lose any weight."

"Do you want me to be honest with you?" he suddenly said, facing me and taking both of my hands in his. I cautiously nodded, not sure if I really did or not. "Quite honestly Max, you've put on some weight. See?" he pinched some fat off my forearm, some off my hips.

I pulled away from his hands. "And is that a problem?" I hissed. I swear, if he said he didn't want to be with me because he thought I was fat…

"No, no. Not the weight. I just…" he ran his hands through his hair. "I just don't know if I can be with someone who doesn't take care of herself." Panic flared in me. Sure, it was pathetic, but I really cared about Dylan. Maybe even… loved him. Compared with losing him, what was a little less ice cream and more fruit now and again? It couldn't be that hard.

And besides, he was probably right about my metabolism. I need to break my bad habits before that runs out on me.

"You're right." I said softly, taking his hand. "I need to start taking better care of myself." I looked up into his clear blue eyes, which twinkled as he smiled his gorgeous smile at me. "Will you help me?"

"Of course I will Max." He leaned down and pressed a kiss to my lips. I smiled against them.

I wouldn't be losing my boyfriend today.

Fangs PoV

I stomped up the stairs to my room, slamming the door. I threw myself onto the bed and screamed into the mattress.

I hated doing that. Going to the ice cream shop with them all the time, watching Max and Dylan get all close and flirty. I hated the way he looked at her, that look that just knew he had won the prize and I had lost. But what I hated more was how Max looked at him. She looked at him with so much love and adoration it made my stomach churn.

I had known her all her life. Then last year perfect pretty boy Dylan moves in across the street. They get together and I'm just the third wheel best friend with the crush.

Yea, I liked Max. A lot. I might even love her. So you can imagine how hard it is for me to watch them kiss and hug and goof around and see Max laugh at all his stupid jokes. I should be the one kissing Max. I should be the one picking her up and smiling at her and making her laugh.

But I lost. I lost and Dylan won.

It's over.

I sighed and forced myself to my feet. I had to work off some of this frustration, or I would explode. I headed downstairs, grabbing my gym bag as I left the house.

(A/N TA-DA! new fic! FOr those of you who voted for Rebel Love Song, fear not! I will be posting that one as soon as LOst in the Dark is finished. Enjoy! R&R

UNC-

Silence)


	2. Chapter 2

Maxs PoV

The first thing I saw when I walked into my house, of course, was a pan of chocolate chip cookies, sitting on the counter. Fresh out of the oven. My hand automatically reached out for one, but with a look from Dylan, I quickly snatched it back. At first, a bad feeling settled in my stomach.

Then Dylan kissed my neck and murmured, "Good girl." and gave me a huge grin, which made the feeling disappear and a smile appear on my lips. Making the right choices got me extra affection. Good to know.

I pulled Dylan up to my room. I closed the door behind us. In seconds, my back was pressed against it and Dylans lips were on mine. I wrapped my arms around his neck, pulling myself closer to him as his hands slid up my back. My fingers tangled into his hair…

Just as the front door slammed.

"Max!" My mother called as Dylan and I frantically tried to fix our clothes and our hair.

"Upstairs!" I called back. Dylans hands lingered on my arms, making me shiver.

"Well, come down and help me with dinner!" I obeyed, pulling Dylan along with me and smacking his hand away when he tried to keep touching.

"Ah, there you two are." My mom is really pretty. She's hispanic, with dark brown hair that curled down her back and brown eyes.

"Hey Mom." I said. Dylan greeted her as Dr. Martinez. We went out to the car to help carry in the groceries, then we started helping her make dinner. Mom always made pretty healthy and yummy food, but I always had alot of it. So tonight, I took half my normal portion. Dylan squeezed my hand under the table and smiled.

"Are you ok sweetie?" my mom asked, peering at me from across the table like I was some sort of alien. I couldn't help but laugh.

"Yeah, I'm fine. We went to the ice cream shop today so I'm not too hungry." I explained. Of course, I was lying. I didn't want to tell her about wanting to lose weight for Dylan. I don't know why, I just didn't want to.

She nodded, accepting my excuse.

Dylan left after dinner, and I spent the rest of my evening watching TV with my mom. At 8, I told my mom I was going to take a shower and went upstairs. I was undressing in the bathroom when I caught sight of my figure in the mirror, and Dylans words came rushing back like a tsunami. I stopped and looked at myself, scrutinizing every inch. At first, I saw a healthy girl, normal. But the longer I stared, the bigger I looked.

I suddenly snapped out of it and firmly forced myself into the shower. I wasn't fat. I wasn't big. I'm fine. I just need to lose a couple of pounds. I'm fine.

When I got out of the shower, my eyes started to drift toward the mirror again, but I snapped them forward again and walked over to my bed, ready to get some shut eye. Just as I was climbing under the covers, my phone buzzed on my bedside table. I smiled when I saw the message from Dylan.

_Love you beautiful. Good night._

I sent back a quick message, then switched off my light and fell into peaceful sleep.

Fangs PoV

I stayed at the gym, working off my anger until the gym closed at 9 and they kicked me out. My body was sore as hell, and all I wanted to do is go home, eat, and sleep for twelve hours.

I was on my way to do just that when I spotted a very familiar person pressing a red headed girl against a wall. I ducked into an alley and watched carefully as Dylan leaned in and kissed her.

My mind started whirring. Mostly angry thoughts, like 'That asshole! Doesn't he know what this'll do to Max! He doesn't deserve her!' and also thoughts like 'Max will be destroyed when she hears about this' and the logical thoughts of 'Maybe he's just drunk or something, or it isn't actually Dylan, just someone who looks like him.'

As these minds swarmed through my brain, Dylan pulled back from the girl and his face turned towards me as he pulls his phone from his pocket. Yep, definitely Dylan.

Dylan looks down at the cellphone screen and smirks.

"What is it?" The redhead asks in a seductive tone.

"Nothing. Just my girlfriend telling me how much she loves me." he said with a laugh.

Instead of gasping in indignation and slapping him, as I expected her to do, the redhead laughed with him and pulled Dylan into another kiss.

I got a bad taste in my mouth. I knew he didn't love her, I knew he was just using her.

I had to do something.

I stepped out of the alley and called,

"Hey Dylan! I think you're kissing the wrong girl!"

His head snapped up, his eyes widening when he saw me.

"Fang." he said. He glanced at the girl, who was looking at him questioningly, before stepping away from her and moving a few feet towards me. "Look, I know what you're gonna say, and-"

"Oh, you know what I'm gonna say? So you know that I'm gonna say that you don't deserve Max, that you'll break her heart and not even give a shit?"

He looked surprised at my outburst, but recovered quickly.

"Max doesn't have to get her heart broken." he said quietly. My temper flared.

"How? You don't love her. She deserves someone who does!"

"Listen to me Fang. I make Max happy. You know that and I know that. So, all you have to do to keep her happy is not tell her."

At first, I opened my mouth to shout at him. Then I stopped and reconsidered. He was right, he does make Max happy, as much as I hate to admit it. And even if he doesn't love her, maybe he could learn to if I gave him the chance. And then Max wouldn't have to get her heart broken.

"Fine. On one condition. You stay away from other girls. If you don't, I'll make sure your relationship ends. Got it?"

"Deal."


	3. Chapter 3

Fangs PoV

I started to walk away, but then stopped.

"One more thing Dylan." Before he could ask what it was I wanted, I whirled and smashed my fist into his perfect movie star face.

He fell to the ground, blood gushing from his nose. That girl shot me a glare and reluctantly stepped to his side.

"That was for cheating on Max, jack ass." I snarled at him, then turned and stalked away. I was halfway to my house before my anger ebbed away enough for me to start rethinking my deal with Dylan. I couldn't keep somthing like this from Max, could I? It would be so much worse if she found out I had been basically lying to her. That made me no better than Dylan. Guilt started to rise in my chest as I entered my house and walked upstairs to my bedroom. I continued to brood as I put my gym bag away and washed the blood off my knuckles. I didn't have any right not to tell Max about this. She deserved better than him.

When I finally flopped into bed, I opened my phone and went into my pictures. I looked at a picture of Max. In the picture, she was smiling, and her eyes glowed with joy, making them melt like chocolate.

Then I imagined the look on her face when I told her Dylan had cheated. The denial, she'd accuse me of lying. Then the anger, the fury. Then the sorrow. Her eyes would freeze up, get cold. I couldn't do that. I couldn't cause her that kind of pain.

I switched my phone off and turned over, trying to get some sleep.

As long as Dylan held up his end of the deal, everything would be fine.

Maxs PoV

I woke up at about 9 the next morning. I rolled over onto my stomach and closed my eyes, wanting to go back to sleep. Unfortunately, the sun streaming in through my curtains wouldn't allow it. So, reluctantly, I got up. My mom had already left for work, but when I looked in the fridge, there were still cookies. I grinned to myself and ran to get my phone.

I dialed a number and impatiently waited for them to pick up. Finally, they did.

"What, Max?" Fang asked groggily in his scratchy morning voice.

"Move marathon at my house! I've got cookies!" I exclaimed. I heard him groan, probably annoyed that I woke him up.

"What time is it?" he asked.

"9." I answered. There was a moment of silence, during which I had to fight the urge to laugh, until finally he spoke again.

"Ok. I'll be over in 15."

"K. I'm inviting Dylan too." Before he could say anything about that, I hung up. He wouldn't mind. He never did. I quickly called Dylan.

"Hey baby." he greeted, sounded wide awake.

"Hey. You wanna come watch movies at my house with me and Fang?" I knew Dylan wouldn't mind either. He never did.

"Yeah, sure. Be over in twenty minutes." and he hung up.

Dylans PoV

I couldn't help the smile that grew on my face. I love it when she invites Fang along. Not for any 'weird' purpose, in case any of you get any ideas, but come on. He adores her. And nothing gets him angrier than to see us together, to see how much she loves me. And it'll be even better today, considering what happened last night.

He didn't break my nose, but it bruised pretty badly and hurt like a bitch. He deserves to see Max all over me, looking at me with all that mushy love in her eyes. Thats the best part of our relationship: driving Fang crazy. I proved to him that I was the better man, I had Max and he didn't. She was something to throw in his face, a trophy if you will. Not to mention she was pretty hot.

She would be even better if she lost some weight. That would drive Fang even crazier, seeing his precious Max trying so hard to be hot for me.

God, I couldn't wait.

Fangs PoV

I mentally cursed Max as I got ready. Why did she have to invite Dylan? I would have to restrain myself that much more from killing the bastard. I knew he loved it, getting me mad, watching me fume with jealousy. He's sadistic and cruel, using Max and tricking her into thinking he loves her just to piss me off.

But I couldn't resist the offer to be with Max, even if it was watching her make out with Dylan for hours.

So I went to her house. When I saw her face, and those eyes, I nearly crumbled and broke the deal. I was on the verge of telling her just how big a douche Dylan really was when the man himself showed up.

Upon seeing Maxs face light up when he kissed her, I got my resolve back. As much as I hate Dylan, he makes her happy. And I can't ruin that for her.

What kind of friend would I be.


	4. Chapter 4

Maxs PoV

"What happened to your nose?" I exclaimed, lightly touching Dylans previously mentioned bruised appendage. He just shrugged and smiled at me.

"Just hurt it playing basketball. No biggie." I shrugged it off and kissed him again before pulling him down onto the couch and popping in the first movie.

Fangs PoV

Why the hell did I agree to this again? Every few minutes Dylan would kiss Max and she would kiss back and then he would smirk at me over her shoulder. He was just daring me to break our deal. I won't do it. There was too much happiness in her eyes.

Not that it didn't piss me off. There was practically smoke coming out of my ears, but I managed to keep my emotionless mask on. I wouldn't give him the satisfaction of seeing me angry.

Maxs PoV

Throughout the first movie, I had eaten 4 cookies. I was reaching for my fifth when Dylan shot me a sharp look.

"Don't you have any self control?" He said snappishly. I saw Fangs head jerk up and he gave Dylan a glare, but I wasn't really paying attention.

"Nope." I returned jokingly, taking a bite of my fifth cookie. Dylan didn't say anything else, he just pointedly removed his hands from me and looked straight at the screen.

I took another bite of the cookie and chewed slowly, a weird feeling settling into my stomach. One that I didn't like. It felt… bad. Not guilt or hate, not exactly, but similar. As soon as I swallowed the bite of cookie, the feeling increased, so I set the rest of it down uneaten and leaned into Dylans side. He still didn't touch me or look at me. Fang was still giving him the glare of death, though I couldn't understand why. Dylan was right, I didn't have any self control, did I? Sitting there, stuffing my face, pretending I hadn't promised Dylan I would try harder.

No wonder he didn't want to look at me.

After the first movie ended, Dylan stood up.

"I gotta go, Max." he said. "I've got a family thing I forgot about." I tried to plaster a smile on my face.

"Of course. Call you later?"

"Sure." he muttered, then stalked out the door without a hug or kiss or anything. And it was all my fault.

I sighed and stood up to put the next movie in. Before I had gotten halfway across the room, Fangs hand closed around my wrist. I turned to face him, surprised. Usually he avoided physical contact like this, just because he didn't want any trouble between me and Dylan.

"Don't listen to Dylan." he said seriously, staring right into my eyes. "He doesn't know what he's talking about."

I gave him a small smile, not having the heart to say Dylan probably knew what he was talking about better than Fang did.

Fang, not knowing my thoughts, gave me a small smile back.

"Now come on." he said, "Put in the movie and eat as many cookies as you want. It's summer, who cares about self control?"

On the outside, I laughed and went along with him. On the inside, I answered his question.

Dylan.

Fangs PoV

Who does he think he is? Telling Max she has no self control, acting so repulsed by her. He has no idea what he has. All he can do is compare her to those sluts he fools around with and pine over how Max isn't them. God, I didn't think I could've hated him any more than I already did. Guess I was wrong.

Max and I watched movies together well into the afternoon, talking and having pillow fights, the way we used to. Before Dylan. But even though I ate some cookies, I noticed Max didn't touch another one all day.

By the end of the fifth movie, Max was stretched out on her back on the couch, her head in my lap, nearly asleep. I moved my fingers through her hair, cherishing these little moments with Max that I got far too little these days.

"Max?" I murmured.

"Hmmmm?"

"You… you know you're beautiful, right?"

Her eyes shot open and stared at me in confusion.

"I mean-" I said awkwardly, "You know that, right? No matter what anyone, even Dylan, says?"

There was a moment of silence when she just looked at me. Then she spoke.

"Yeah." she said slowly. "Yeah, I know that." I relaxed the tiniest bit and gave her a smile. She returned it, though it didn't seem quite as genuine as it usually did. There was something hiding behind her eyes that I couldn't quite make out. Before I could ask her about it, she had closed her eyes again and fallen asleep.

My smile grew. I made sure to stay still, only moving to comb my hand through her hair. She looked peaceful and happy when she was asleep, and for once I didn't have to worry about Dylan. It was just me and her. I loved it.

I loved her.

Maxs PoV

It was dark outside when I opened my eyes again. My head was still in Fangs lap, and his hand still rested in my hair. He was asleep, his head laid back against the couch back. I studied his face, lost in thought. Today had been...fun. I had missed doing this with Fang. I felt like we had been drifting apart lately, and today had been the beginning of getting closer again.

Despite how much fun I had had with Fang, that bad feeling still settled into my stomach whenever I thought about what Dylan had said.

I mentally compared Fang and Dylan. Dylan told me I had to get some self control. Fang told me I was beautiful. Dylan kissed me all the time and held my hand in public, Fang and I had pillow fights and fell asleep in each others laps.

The front door opened, snapping me out of my treacherous thoughts. Angry thoughts took them over as my mother walked into the kitchen, calling a hello to me and waking Fang. What had I been doing? Dylan was my boyfriend, I had no right to compare him to Fang. I loved Dylan, and that was that.


	5. Chapter 5

Fangs PoV

I stayed at Maxs house and helped her and her mom make dinner. Valencia was happy to see me, since I hadn't been hanging around as much since Max and Dylan got together. When she asked me why I hadn't come by, I just shrugged. I couldn't exactly tell her that I couldn't stand being around knowing she loved Dylan, could I? However, I decided I would start spending more time with Max again. Dylan or no Dylan, I was still her friend.

"So what have you two been up to all day?" she asked as we ate dinner.

"We watched like 5 movies." Max said, smiling at her mom. Valencia smiled back.

"That sounds like fun. And I noticed that someone had eaten alot of cookies." Valencia said, sending Max a knowing look. Max gave a small, fake looking smile.

"Yeah." she said quietly, picking at her mashed potatoes with her fork.

"I'm glad." Valencia said. "You're appetite hasn't been good the past couple of days."

I looked up at Max sharply. She didn't move, she just kept her head down and continued to swirl her food around on her plate. My eyes narrowed. I knew she could feel my stare, but she wouldn't look up.

Was this Dylans fault? Or has she just not been hungry? Oh, who am I kidding, of course it's Dylans fault. Max is always hungry and if there was nothing weird going on Max would look at me.

I got a bitter taste in my mouth and took another bite of my steamed carrots to chase it away. Valencia seemed to sense the tense air of the situation and carefully steered the conversation to safer waters. I, however, kept watching Max. She was eating slowly, taking tiny bites every minute or so, and seeming to have an internal battle in her head over each one. I knew she had to be starving after only having 5 cookies all day. I couldn't for the life of me figure out what she was doing or why she was doing it.

Maybe if I told her what Dylan had done she would snap out of it.

Before I could even open my mouth, Maxs phone rang. Her face lit up when she saw who it was and she leapt up from the table immediately to answer it. Must be Dylan. I ground my teeth in frustration. Valencia shot me a sympathetic look.

"You must really hate that." she said softly. I tensed up.

"What do you mean?" I asked, fighting to keep my voice neutral. She smirked.

"Come on Fang, you think I don't notice? You're completely head over heels for Max." I blinked in shock and barely managed to keep my jaw from dropping. Now she laughed at my confused expression.

"It's so obvious! I can't believe Max hasn't caught on." she said. I just shrugged and looked down at my mostly empty plate.

"It'll work out." Valencia reassured me, lightly touching my arm. I reluctantly nodded and shoveled the rest of my food into my mouth before standing up to put my plate in the sink. I wasn't being rude, she was used to me not talking very much.

I started to wash off my plate just as Max emerged from the hallway, a large grin on her face.

"Whats got you in such a good mood?" Valencia asked her. I bit my tongue. I already knew.

"Dylan and I are going out to lunch tomorrow." Max said happily.

"I hope you have fun." Valencia said, sneaking me a covert look.

"Me too." Max said, a strange look on her face. I frowned. What did that mean? Suddenly, her eyes snapped to the plate on the table. Something flashed through her eyes.

"You know what Mom? I'm actually pretty tired. I think I'll take a shower and go to bed."

Valencia looked surprised as my eyes narrowed suspiciously at Max. What was going on with her?

"Alright." Valencia said. "Goodnight sweetie." Max returned the good night, then looked at me.

"See you later Fang." she said, her face blank. I nodded once and switched off the water as she went upstairs. Then I left, frantically wondering what Dylan had done to my Max.

Maxs PoV

`As soon as Dylan asked me to lunch, I knew he had forgiven me for losing control this morning. However, I knew that I couldn't let him down again. So I told my mom I was tired, said goodbye to Fang, and went upstairs to get in the shower.

My eyes were inexplicably drawn towards the mirror. I tried not to, but I couldn't help it. I stood, listening to the hot water running, and stared carefully at my reflection. I was ok I guess. I mean I wasn't horrible or anything. But there was some room for improvement that probably wouldn't be too hard to achieve. Then I could really make Dylan happy.

I smiled to myself and got in the shower.

Time Skip

I changed into my pajamas and climbed onto my bed. After a moments thought, I picked up my phone to text Dylan, hoping I wouldn't annoy him too much.

_So, when you say I could lose some weight, what exactly did you have in mind?_

I waited anxiously for the reply. After about five minutes, it came.

_It would be awesome if you had a thigh gap._

I frowned and furrowed my brow, tilting my head to the side. This was getting a bit ridiculous. Then again… what could it hurt right?

I continued to fight with myself in my head. Obsessing about my looks and my weight weren't healthy and it could end up badly for me. Besides, what happened to me not caring?

But it would make Dylan happy. How bad could it really be, right? I would be healthier, wouldn't I?

I sighed and put my phone down, settling into my blankets. I would sleep on it, and decide in the morning if I was going to try that hard for him.

Time Skip

The next morning, I got up and re-read Dylans texts. Then I went over yesterday in my mind and finished off by studying myself if the mirror in the clothes I was going to wear to lunch.

I frowned at my reflection. It seemed… alot worse than last night…

I bit my lip, eyeing the small bulge of fat that poked out of my shirt and over the edges of my jeans. Well, this simply wouldn't do.

I squared my shoulders and clenched my fists. I could do this. For Dylan. And for myself.


	6. Chapter 6

Maxs PoV

I skipped breakfast and just drank a lot of water that morning. Around 11, Dylan picked me up. We went to this really nice Italian place that I loved. It would be hard to control my eating here, but I could do it. All this was was a challenge, and I would complete it if it killed me.

Dylan and I talked and laughed while the waiter went to fill our orders. They set baskets of bread on the table for people to snack on as they waited, and although Dylan had some of them, I'm proud to say I didn't touch a single crumb. Then the food came out.

I had gotten chicken alfredo, a smaller portion than I usually would have too. I thought I was doing well. Until I saw Dylan staring somewhere behind me.

I turned to see him looking at a redhead sitting two tables behind us. She was so skinny her collarbones stuck out and she was daintily eating a salad. I gritted my teeth and turned back to Dylan, only to see him still oogling at the red head. I cleared my throat conspicuously, which snapped Dylan back into reality. He turned back to his spaghetti, trying to pretend that nothing had happened.

It was hard, but I forced myself to put my fork down in the half empty bowl of pasta.

"I'm full." I said with a fake smile. "I think I'll save the rest of this for dinner tonight."

"Ok." was all he said, but he flashed me a brilliant smile and his eyes didn't wander from mine for the rest of the date.

Ha. Take that Red-Headed Wonder.

Then Dylan really put the heat on. He ordered a slice of chocolate lave cake for dessert, which I happened to love. I bit my lip as it was placed on the table. I bunched my hands up in my napkin. Ok, I could do this. 1 bite of the ice cream, 1 bite of the cake.

Even under Dylans scrutiny, I ate 2 bites of ice cream and three of the cake. Dylan ate the rest.

I felt horribly guilty, but Dylan didn't seem to mind too much, and it was only a few extra bites. A few extra bites wouldn't kill me.

We walked out of the restaurant a few minutes later, holding hands, me swinging the bag with my extra food in the other. My stomach was growling with hunger, but dinner was only 5 hours away. I could wait.

We decided to take a quick walk through the park before heading back to my house. It was pretty, with tall green trees and a sparkling fountain. We sat on a bench under the fountain for a minute before turning back.

A teenage girl in jogging clothes passed us, and Dylans eyes seemed to be stuck to her like glue. I can understand why. She was beautiful and toned with a flat stomach. Who wouldn't stare at her?

"Wow, she looks really fit." Dylan commented pointedly. I nodded, my mind started to roil.

We walked back to the car and Dylan dropped me off at my house, giving me a quick kiss at my front door before heading off. I waited until I couldn't hear his car anymore, then rushed inside.

God I was starving!

I quickly took out the extra pasta and a couple of cookies and started chowing down. After a few bites, I froze.

I bet that jogger girl didn't do this, nor the red head. Neither of them could possibly dream of stuffing their faces with pasta and cookies after a date, in secret. No wonder Dylan looked at them. I looked guiltily down at the food that surrounded me, then with a great deal of mental arguing and sheer force of will, I stood up and threw all of it away. Then I drank some more water.

There was a kind of screaming in my head, panicked, guilty screaming. I don't know where it came from but hell it was annoying. It made that bad feeling sink back into my gut. I couldn't stand it, but I didn't know how to make it stop.

People had constantly told me through my childhood that if I was upset I should try to exercise it away. Maybe it would work.

My mom had an old stair stepper in the basement she sometimes used as an exercise room, when she was feeling ambitious. I went down there and got on the stair stepper. Ten minutes of that and my legs hurt a bit, but I felt awesome. It made the screaming in my head quiet down a little bit, but it wasn't completely gone. So I got back on the stair stepper and promptly lost all track of time.

I didn't even feel the burning in my legs until the front door upstairs slammed. I quickly jumped down from the stair stepper and ran upstairs, switching on the shower before my mom could see me all tired and sweaty.

Had I really spent that much time on that thing without realizing it? I must be going crazy.

I climbed into the water and stuck my head under the stream, feeling the warmth snake between the strands of my hair. My thoughts started to drift around.

I must have burned off all of my food today, at least. And that felt amazing. The bad thing in my gut was completely gone and my mind was silent, no more screaming. Maybe… maybe I should do that more often. It would make this whole thing go much faster, and if it made me feel this good… why not?

How bad could it possibly be?


	7. Chapter 7

Maxs PoV

I got up the next morning around 9. I immediately went downstairs and spent 30 minutes on the stair stepper before going back upstairs and eating a bowl of cereal for breakfast. I put my bowl in the sink, did another 30 minutes on the stair stepper, then went and took a shower. I was just emerging from the bathroom, wrapped in my towel, when my cell phone on my bedside table started ringing.

I plopped myself down on my bed and held the phone between my head and my shoulder while I wrung water out of my hair.

"Hello?" I answered.

"Hey, baby." I smiled. I loved it when Dylan called me that.

"Hey. Whats up?"

"I was just thinking, you wanna hit the ice cream shop today?"

And just like that, my day got a million times brighter.

"Sure! I'll call Fang, and we'll meet you at your house in half an hour."

"K. See you then."

I hung up and quickly went to my closet to get dressed. While I brushed my hair, I called Fang.

"Wakey wakey sunshine." I said teasingly, knowing he was probably still asleep.

"Damn it Max why do you keep waking me up so damn early?"

"Fang it's 11:15." There was a pause, then I heard him barely swear.

"Touche." Was all he said. "So what do you want Your Highness?"

"Oh ha ha." I said drily. "Dylan and I are going to the ice cream shop. You wanna come along?"

To my surprise, there was a pause, as though he was hesitating. That was weird, usually he's all over it. Eventually, I heard him sigh,as if in defeat.

"Yeah, sure. Meet you at your house?"

"Yeah. See you in a few."

With that, I hung up, frowning to myself. What was going on with him today?

About ten minutes later, Fang was knocking on my door, and we were heading for Dylans house. We laughed and bantered the way we always do, the strangeness of this morning forgotten.

When we reached Dylans house, Fang hung back while I tripped up to Dylans front door and rang the bell.

Fangs PoV

Max waited for a moment, then suddenly the door swung open and Dylan swept Max up, spinning her in a circle. Max laughed, and as soon as he set her back on her feet, they kissed. Not the quick pecks from yesterday, like a deep kiss. I clenched my jaw angrily and looked away.

Finally Max made him stop kissing her and we were walking towards the ice cream shop.

I could barely keep myself from glaring at Dylan as we walked. He was holding her hand and whispering things to her, making her giggle in a very un-Max-like fashion, and every few minutes he would stop and kiss her again until she made him keep walking. At this rate it would take us another hour to get there.

We were three fourths of the way there when I snapped.

"Would you two quit it?" I asked irritably. "Your puppy love is gonna make us take the entire afternoon just to go three damn blocks."

"Wow, someones feisty today." Dylan commented with a smirk.

"Shut it Dylan." I muttered, shooting him a venomous look.

"Why? It's not my fault you're all pissy." he said. I gritted my teeth, glaring at him with as much rage as I could muster. He just kept smirking at me, knowing I couldn't hurt him in front of Max.

"Ok, ok, that's enough." Max said sternly, moving to walk in between Dylan and I. "What's gotten into you, Fang?"

I didn't answer. Dylan continued to look at me smugly, making me fight to keep my cool. I hated him so much. He tried to kiss Max again, but she brushed him off and kept walking, much to my pleasure.

Finally, finally we got to the ice cream shop. Dylan and I both got our usual. Max, though, she hesitated. I frowned at her, wondering what she was doing, when she ordered a single scoop of chocolate.

Dylan smiled fondly at her while I fought with myself in my mind. Maybe it was nothing. I mean, it was just one scoop of ice cream. It couldn't be that important.

Right?

Maxs PoV

I loved feeling Dylans arm around me while we ate. He was proud of me, for taking control. And I felt good about it.

Fang was acting weird though, throwing a wrench in my happy mood. What was his problem? He's been acting weird all day. I don't understand it.

Dylan continued to kiss me and such all the way home, even though it seemed to annoy Fang. After we dropped Dylan off, the walk was quiet, not the way it was this morning. We were almost to my house when Fang finally spoke.

"Hey, Max, is everything alright?"

"What do you mean?" I asked, giving him a confused smile.

"Just, you know, are you ok?" he seemed awkward and unsure of himself, which was extremely odd for him.

"Yeah, of course. Why wouldn't I be?"

"No reason." he muttered, then quickly turned and headed for his house.

I frowned to myself, but shrugged it off and went back inside to get back on the stair stepper.


	8. Chapter 8

(A/N

Hey guys. I'm sorry to be the bearer of bad news, but due to personal reasons I won't be updating for at least the next month, maybe longer. I apologize in advance, but on the bright side I'll have plenty of new chapters for you when I come back.

Please don't kill me.

Until Then-

Silence)


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